Pondering the Possibilities of Drinking From a Firehose

Or What I Learned from the Summer 2012 Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Conference

Conference in L.A. help me with my writing? I am writing--attempting to write--my first fantasy novel, Clare's Crow. The truth is, I'm a newby writer, and there was a lot of information at the conference. I overheard someone saying it was like trying to drink water from a fire
hose. There are so many ideas I am still processing from the conference, but here are some take-aways I am ready to share:

The SCBWI gave me a wide-angle view of the children's writing community.It gave me a closeup of published authors sharing their struggles and successes. I got to zoom in on the experience of top-flight editors looking to find a great story. I took away new strategies I need to make my story better.The SCBWI conference gave me a welcome community. I met people, like myself, who love children's books. I attended Ari Lewin's breakout session on Writing Fantasy. Ms. Lewin is an executive editor at GP Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers. She helped me think like an editor looking for a good story to publish. With Lewin's help, I imagined myself an editor about to find that elusive manuscript. I'd be reading the manuscript of THE GOLDEN COMPASS or ARTEMIS FOWL. They'd be a pleasure to read for so many reasons. They wouldn't rush me into the magic. Instead they'd carefully draw me into their worlds through strong narrative and vivid characters. They would build the suspense, not giving anything away. They would be real page-turners.

I also attended the breakout session led by Matthew Kirby, award-winning author of The Clockwork Three, Icefall, and book five of the forthcoming Infinity Ring series, http://matthewjkirby.com/kirbside. (I am reading and enjoying The Clockwork Three right now.)

Kirby took the time to share his hard-won insights on writing. He gave a presentation on Voice to an overflow audience. Two takes-aways for me were:

Voice isLanguage intersecting with Character. You cannot attack voice
directly. Voice emerges organically. You have to create a space for your voice to grow, like a garden.

Voice is connected to concise vocabulary: the choice of regional dialect, the rhythm in the text, The fit of the vocabulary with the type of story.

Finally Kirby gave us heartfelt encouragement:

Give yourself the right to treat writing as a career and it
will create a shift in your thinking.

That's me in the blue getting all excited about the The Golden Kite Luncheon Staff Introductions
(--not really...but I was there too, getting just as excited, only not in the picture).